


Don't Forget to Breathe

by squiddlesandsopor



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Arranged Marriage, F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-05
Updated: 2017-03-22
Packaged: 2018-09-28 12:22:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 11,257
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10100639
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/squiddlesandsopor/pseuds/squiddlesandsopor
Summary: Mikasa is quite content living her life the way she chooses but her parents insist on an arranged marriage to an older man she's never met. She has to balance the desires of her family with her own wants and accept that just because she's opposed to something originally doesn't mean that it won't end up being something worthwhile.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> The title of this work comes from the song "Breathe" by Alexi Murdoch.

When she was five Mikasa loved to help with the gardening. She would use a small spade, or her fingers, digging into the loamy soil. The grass would tickle her bare feet, her knees, as she crouched over and gently placed the seeds her mom passed her into the holes she had so diligently made. A gentle swipe of her hand buried them - just like her mom had showed her. She dug deeper holes for the herbs they transplanted and she was allowed to place those too as long as she agreed to be very careful. She loved everything about it from the dirt under her nails to the soft sweet scent of growing things and the freshness to the air in the aftermath of rain. Her mom smiled at her as she danced around the backyard covered in dirt when they were finished.

“You’re going to make some boy very happy one day,” her mother said.

Mikasa’s face crumpled with disgust. Everyone knew boys had cooties after all.

 ***

When she was ten Mikasa loved to run. She would easily out-distance her friends, bare feet slapping on the sun-warmed concrete. With her hair flowing behind her and a smile in her eyes, she ran. She’d collapse into a chair in the kitchen at home panting from her exertions and her mom would bring her a glass of juice. Mikasa loved these quiet moments where she could just sit and listen to her mom talk. Usually they’d talk about the garden or school but sometimes her mom would talk about the boy she would marry one day and Mikasa would wrinkle her nose and roll her eyes and change the subject.

 ***

When she was fifteen Mikasa loved fighting. There was nothing that compared to the warm burn of muscle exhaustion. There was nothing better than the endorphin rush of besting a willing opponent. She trained her body at the gym the way she trained her mind at school and focused on turning herself into the best version of herself that she could be. Mikasa loved fighting but she hated confrontation so conversations with her mom had become difficult of late. Whenever possible she would remove herself from the situation, go to her room and listen to music for hours at a time as though the notes could tune out her mother’s insistence on what she considered an outdated tradition.

“Mikasa, I really don’t understand what all the fuss is about. Really! Your father and I had an arranged marraige and it worked for us. I’m telling you, this will be good for you!”

“He’s twice my age.”

“That’s only because you’re still young. I’m not asking you to marry him tomorrow.”

“Mom. He. Is. Thirty.”

“I know fifteen years seems like a long time when you’re young but trust me, when you’re twenty it won’t matter as much.”

“No! You don’t understand do you? I don’t want to marry some guy twice my age who I’ve never even met!”

“Mikasa,” her mother's voice was accompanied by a faint sigh, “You’re being unreasonable.”

“No you are!”

Mikasa was turning even as her mother gasped in indignation.

“Mikasa Ackerman! Don’t you take that tone with me! Look at me when I’m speaking to you!”

Mikasa ignored her mother’s raised voice and closed herself up in her room knowing she was in for it later but taking a small pride in her childish rebellion anyway.

When a knock came on her door a couple hours later it wasn’t her mom who came in after her grudging acquiescence but her dad. She planted her back a little more firmly against her headboard as she took in the tired lines on her father’s face.

“Mikasa, honey, you know your mother and I just want what’s best for you right?”

She let her eyes slide away from her father's and stared a hole into the wall just past his shoulder.

His sigh was nearly inaudible as he pulled out her desk chair and sank heavily into it, “Sorry, I didn’t come here to give you a lecture.”

“Yes you did,” she said, her eyes snapping back to her father full of reproach.

Her father smiled faintly, “Okay, yes, I did.”

Mikasa huffed and looked away again.

“The issue here is less your disagreement about our plans for your future and more about how disrespectful you were with your mom. You can’t treat her that way.”

“But you guys can treat me whatever way you want?”

“That’s not what I said but to a certain degree, yes. We’re the parents and you’re the child Mikasa. You might not always like it but that’s just how things work.”

“I don’t care what you say I’m not marrying some old dude.”

Her father chuckled, “Okay. I’ll drop it for now. Please think about it though. It would make your mother and me very happy.”

Mikasa kept staring at the wall long after her father had left, gently closing the door behind him.

 ***

When she was twenty Mikasa finally gave in to her mother’s badgering.

“Fine. I’ll meet him. But don’t expect me to like it.”

“Oh, Mikasa, you have no idea how happy this makes me. You’re making the right decision, truly.”

Mikasa stared impassively at her mother. She didn’t want this but if it would appease her mom she could at least meet the guy and reject him to his face. It wasn’t like she even had time for a relationship, let alone a marriage. She had school and work and training. Somehow she managed to fit time with her friends and family in the cracks. Sleep was the only other thing she made time for and she wasn’t about to give up any of those things for some guy in his thirties that her parents wanted her to marry.

She told her mother so and felt a faint hint of remorse as her mother's face fell slightly.

“Mikasa,” she hesitated, looking down and tucking her hair behind her ear, before continuing, “Mikasa you do know that we won’t insist on you marrying him if you don’t like him right? You do have a say in the matter. You’re not a child anymore so I trust you to make the right decisions.”

“Mom.”

“No, don’t interrupt, I’m not finished.”

Mikasa pressed her lips together at her mom’s sharp tone but let her continue.

“We won’t insist if you don’t like him but I want you to give it a fair chance. I know that you aren’t fond of the idea of arranged marriages but you do know that they can be every bit as successful as the marriages you’re more used to. You can’t know that it won’t work unless you at least put some effort in. I’m not asking you to fall in love but I’m asking that you at least consider the possibility that this could be a good thing for you. Despite what you might think of us your father and I just want you to be happy,” her mom took a deep breath and shot her a tremulous smile, “Okay?”

Mikasa took a steadying breath of her own before meeting her mother’s eyes, “Yeah. Okay.”


	2. Chapter 2

“So, I’m meeting him tomorrow afternoon,” Mikasa huffed as her sneakers thumped against the pavement.

Next to her Sasha shook her head, “I still can’t believe your parents want you to marry a stranger. Who does that?”

“Well,” Mikasa hummed, thinking, “It’s not common here but in some societies it’s normal. Expected even. My parents are like that. That’s what their families were like. I guess that’s what this guy’s family is like too. I don’t like it because I feel like I’m being pushed into something I don’t want but there are a lot of people that are fine with it.”

Sasha shook her head again but dropped the subject as they increased their pace at the halfway point of their run. The rising sun behind them cast long shadows that they chased down the quiet residential street. They ran in relative silence aside from their softly echoing footsteps and controlled breaths.

When they looped back to the street housing Sasha’s apartment complex they slowed to a jog and then finally to a walk. Mikasa focused on keeping her breathing steady and maintaining an even pace despite her twitching muscles. Next to her Sasha groaned.

“I am so hungry now I could eat enough breakfast for three people.”

With a small smile Mikasa replied, “Wouldn’t you do that anyway?”

“Yeah,” Sasha laughed, “Now I can binge on carbs though!”

The women parted with smiles and small waves as Sasha went back up to her apartment and Mikasa got in her car to drive home for a quick shower before class. Her fingers tapped arhythmically against the steering wheel as she made her way through the empty streets. While she had brushed off her meeting tomorrow she was more conflicted about it than she had let on. She had fallen back onto the same arguments her parents had used on her over the years. This bothered her and the thought plagued her throughout the day even though she exuded her usual quiet focus externally.

In class she took notes and wondered why her parents had so much faith in a man they’d never even met. From what little she could tell Levi’s uncle was an acquaintance of her parents. How they’d decided the match would be a good one was beyond her.

After class she met up with two of her oldest friends. They had coffee and she listened absently as they chatted. She thought about telling them about her issue but decided not to trouble them. They parted after an hour saying that it had been too long, that they had to get together again soon, that the only downside about not being in high school anymore was that they didn’t see each other nearly as often. Mikasa agreed, sipping her now cold latte, but knew that it would be another month or two before they saw each other again just like always.

At work she pruned and watered and calmly answered questions but the whole time she felt on edge. Like a drawn bowstring, the faintest hint of a tremor along her limbs, waiting for the release that would snap her back to equilibrium. She tried to ignore her tension but as the hours crept forward the feelings of being strung too tightly intensified. By the end of her shift she hurried to escape the stifling confines of the greenhouse. She made it to her car before she had to stop. She leaned back against it and, head hanging, braced her hands on her thighs. After several deep breaths her head cleared enough for her to feel safe to drive. She got into her car and glanced at the plain black duffle bag in the backseat. With a slight nod she started the car and made the quick drive to her gym. There wasn’t a lot of time before closing but she was able to run through a routine she had designed for days when she had an excess of adrenaline coursing through her system. By the time she was finishing her last stretches the employee had come by to give her the five minute warning. Her tension eased by the demanding routine, Mikasa collected her items and made the short drive home in an endorphin-laden haze.

***

Mikasa shoved her hands into the pockets of her jacket to control the impulse to fidget. Her mother walked next to her with a pleased smile tugging up her lips and crinkling in the corners of her eyes.

“Remind me why you’re here again?”

Her mom looked startled for a moment, “Because I need to introduce you to Levi! I can’t just expect you to introduce yourself. Besides, you don’t know what he looks like.”

“And you do?”

“Of course, I met him when we arranged this match. You didn’t think I wasn’t going to get an idea of who my little girl might marry before consenting to the arrangement did you?”

That was exactly what Mikasa thought but she kept that to herself as she looked away from her mother. It was a beautiful afternoon with wispy clouds that lazed across an azure sky. The meticulously kept municipal gardens were in full, fragrant bloom. Pigeons waddled down the sidewalk cooing softly as sparrows flitted between the ground and the manicured trees standing like sentinels along the length of the street.

It was rare that Mikasa was able to make time for herself and it bothered her that she had to waste a fine day like this one to appease her parents.

“Here we are,” her mother’s cheerful voice interrupted her brooding by causing another spike of adrenaline to shoot through her system.

They were in front of a quaint coffee shop in the middle of a street she had never been down. The place was practically deserted which, she assumed, was the point of the location in the first place. There was a man leaning against the side of the building but as they approached he straightened and stepped forward to meet them. His impeccable posture momentarily leant him the illusion of height but the closer they got the more Mikasa realized that he was actually significantly shorter than her own, slightly greater than average, height.

“Levi,” her mother’s tone was warm and she flashed a radiant smile at the man in front of them, “It’s so good to see you again.”

He nodded in response.

“Levi, this is my daughter - Mikasa. Mikasa this is Levi. His uncle and mother were friends of your father’s.”

Mikasa nodded in turn and had to suppress the childish glee she felt when her mother’s smile faltered slightly and her lips thinned.

“Well!” Smile back, she took a step away, “I’ll leave you two to get to know each other. Mikasa, I’ll call you tonight.”

Mikasa wasn’t sure if that was meant as a reassurance or as a warning but she returned her mother’s hug and raised her hand in a small wave of acknowledgement.

“Shall we?”

Mikasa turned back at the low question and inclined her chin again in a slight nod.

Levi lead the way into the shop and Mikasa followed after a moment. By the time she’d caught up to him he was already at the counter.

“I’ll have Qimen Hong Cha, the Hao Ya variety if you have it,” he turned his head enough to look at Mikasa out of the corner of his eye, “Get whatever you’d like.”

Her eyebrows twitched up slightly at his abruptness but she asked for a black coffee anyway to remain cordial in front of the barista.

After he paid Levi went and sat at a small table against the wall with a good view of the window. For lack of much else to do Mikasa joined him in tense silence. She focused on the view out the large front window despite the fact that there was nothing to really focus on - the street was more than empty. A few minutes later the barista brought over their drinks but even this was not enough to break the stony impasse.

Her eyes trailed away from the window to fixate on the lightly steaming, mirror dark surface of her coffee. While deliberately not looking at the man across from her she caught the graceful clasp of his long fingers around the rim of his cup in her peripherals. So intense was her unintentional focus that she heard the soft sounds of his lips parting and the fluid swallows he took. It was enough that she felt the need to break the tension anyway she could so she slapped her palm against the table and looked up into steady grey-blue eyes.

“What kind of man agrees to marry a child half his age?” She spit the question as an accusation, no less venomous for the fact that she said it quietly to avoid the barista overhearing.

This earned her no response beyond a single raised brow and another small sip of tea.

Her open hand clenched into a fist - an unintentional motion she only realized she’d made once Levi’s eyes flicked down to it and back up to her face with the same bland expression he’d been wearing since she met him. She took a controlled breath in and relaxed her hand as she released it again. She then took her own measured sip of coffee.

“I think that’s something I have a right to know, don’t you?” She tracked the slight tilt of his head and then repeated her question, this time with less hostility, “What kind of man agrees to marry a child?”

He set his cup down and regarded her with flat eyes, “The kind of man that was hoping she would have held out a little longer.”

Mikasa’s eyebrows furrowed, “Wait, what?”

“You didn’t think I intended to marry some brat did you?”

“I,” she faltered, “I don’t know. My parents gave me the impression you did.”

He rested one hand on the table while slinging his other arm over the back of the chair, “How old were you when your parents first brought up the idea of an arranged marriage with you?”

“Ten.”

He nodded, almost to himself, before continuing, “That’s how old I was when my uncle took me to meet the first potential bride he and my mother had lined up.

“But it didn’t stop there. After I refused that match they found me another. Then another after I refused that one. When I was thirty and they suggested you I’d been turning down unwanted matches for longer than you’d been alive. So I told them I’d consider you once you were older to get them off my back. I’d hoped you’d put meeting off for more than five years but it was better than nothing I suppose.”

He reached for his tea again as Mikasa contemplated what he had said.

“So,” she steadied herself with another swallow of coffee before speaking again, “What happens now?”

His eyebrow ticked up again and she had to push down the flash of irritation she felt at his condescension.

“Now we go our separate ways and endure more unsavory matches.”

“No, this was it. I tell my parents I’m not interested and this is the end of it.”

His dark chuckle held no humour.

“That’s awfully naive of you. I just told you my family has been trying to set me up since I was ten and you think your family will back off after a single rejection.

“That’s cute.” The words were dry and Mikasa felt her burgeoning hope flee before the sharpness of his tone.

She traced the rim of her cup with the tip of her finger, a frown on her face.

“So what should I do,” the exhalation was little more than thinking out loud but Levi heard it anyway and shrugged.

“I’d recommend you find someone to date or a friend willing to pretend for your sake. If neither of those are possibilities you should drag this out; let your family think we’re actually considering this. That’s what I’m planning on doing at least.”

She looked up and met his eyes before looking away again unhappily.

His barely audible sigh echoed her own internal one, “Are you dating anyone?”

“No.”

“Any friends that are willing to take one for the team?”

She considered it briefly, “No. At least no one believable.”

His lips thinned and she could sense the tension building again. The silence stretched and she was preparing to leave when he interrupted her thought process.

“Tch.” The noise was sudden and he was frowning, “I don’t relish the thought of having to meet new women every couple months or so and you’re obviously not interested in that life either. So I have a proposition; you probably won’t like it though.”

Mikasa shrugged and Levi continued.

“We can tell our families that we’re seriously considering this marriage. We’ll have to see each other at least occasionally or they’ll get suspicious but it’s probably better than the alternative.”

Mikasa looked up to meet his eyes but he was glaring out the window so she looked back to the dregs of her coffee. He was right, she didn’t like it. Unfortunately, she didn’t see much of an alternative either. She tried to think of something, anything really, but eventually she relented. Throwing back the bitter dregs of her cold coffee she steeled herself for what was almost certainly a mistake in the making.

“Okay. Let’s do that.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I bumped up the rating for minor cursing.

True to her word Mikasa’s mom called her that night. She had just finished showering and was still toweling off her hair when her phone began chirping at her and vibrating on the kitchen counter.

Resting the damp towel on her shoulders she picked up the phone, “Hi mom.”

“Hi honey, how did it go?”

Mikasa felt a pang of guilt for the lie she was about to tell but knew it was the only thing that would make her mother happy.

“It went well enough.”

“And?” Her mother pressed.

“And,” she sighed, “we’ve decided to see each other again.”

She paced back to the bathroom to drop the towel in the hamper as she waited for what she assumed would be an exuberant reply. She wasn’t disappointed.

“Oh! I’m so glad to hear that. I just knew this would be good for you.”

Mikasa bit her cheek but responded with a neutral, “Yeah.”

“So?” Her mom asked.

“So what?”

“So, what’s he like?”

“Um,” she hesitated, “he ordered tea so I guess he likes that?”

Her mother chuckled and corrected herself, “No, no. I meant what is he like, not what does he like.”

“Oh.”

Mikasa faltered, at a bit of a loss.

“It’s kind of hard to say after only meeting once,” she said, stalling, “He was sarcastic but he seems reliable?”

It came out less sure than she hoped it would have but it seemed to satisfy her mom who made a happy noise on the other side of the phone.

“When are you meeting again?”

“Maybe next week? We both have busy schedules but we traded numbers so we’ll figure out a time that works for both of us.”

It was a relief to not have to dance around the truth. They had in fact traded numbers following her agreement to Levi’s suggestion and before going their separate ways. She hadn’t wanted to agree to meet him again so soon but he insisted that their families would expect it.

“Maybe next week? Mikasa, you have to make compromises in a relationship. I know you’re busy but you can make time somehow right? You go to the gym all the time so it wouldn’t kill you to skip a day or two for Levi right?”

She bristled at the insinuation that she should put a man she had only just met before her health but managed a restrained, “I’ll think about it.”

Her mother sighed heavily.

Mikasa decided that the conversation had gone on long enough by this point and decided to wrap it up.

“Well I’d love to talk longer but I have an essay due next week that I haven’t finished yet,” swallowing her pride she sweetened the deal for her mother, “If I’m going to meet up with Levi again soon I really need to get this done.”

“Of course,” her mother said, mollified, “Work hard and I’ll see you soon.”

“See you soon.”

After she hung up she dropped her phone on the counter and flung herself backward onto her couch. Her hands rubbed roughly over her face before pushing back into her short, still damp hair.

“I’m screwed,” she announced to her empty apartment.

Even though it was still early she called it a night. Collecting her phone, and ignoring her essay, she locked the door and turned the lights off behind her as she made her way to her room. Her phone found its way to its usual place on her night stand and she turned back her blankets before killing the light and getting into bed.

She had begun a light doze when her phone beeped, notifying her that she had received a message. She groaned and reached for her phone, pawing at her night table until she found it. She hissed as the backlighting stung her eyes and squinted to check the caller ID. She huffed, unsurprised, and opened the message.

  _I’m available Thursday night. Are you?_

 Since she didn’t feel like dealing with anyone right now, least of all Levi, she grumbled and ignored his text. Rolling over after safely placing her phone back on the table she burrowed into her massive pile of blankets and drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

 

* * *

 

When he received no reply to his message that evening Levi was annoyed. He went to bed fully expecting to be woken at some inconsiderate hour; probably immediately after he managed to fall asleep. However, his sleep remained uninterrupted and when he woke early the next morning he checked his phone wondering if he’d managed to sleep through her reply. He hadn’t. Irritated, he got up and showered.

Even though it was Sunday, and technically his day off, he decided to work through the paperwork he had been deliberately neglecting during the past week. It was monotonous, mind-numbing work but he tackled it with the same ruthless efficiency that had ensured his success when he went freelance in the first place. By the time he finally took a break to raid the kitchen early afternoon sunlight was streaming across the floor. He was pleased with the dent he had made in his work though. After a quick lunch of reheated leftovers he ran through an easy series of stretches to loosen the tension brought about by hours of sitting hunched over a stack of papers with too much fine print. In the other room his phone chimed and he eased out of the deep fold he had been holding.

“Finally.” He grumbled.

When he got to his phone though the message wasn’t from Mikasa like he’d expected but rather a fucking meme from Hanji. He threw his phone down, pissed, and instead of returning to his paperwork he went for a long run. He deserved it.

 ***

He sat, the remains of his dinner next to him on the counter, and glared at his phone. It had nearly been a full day and still Mikasa had not responded. His lips tightened but he got up to clean the evidence of his dinner. He would give her another hour. At most.

Even after the remains were carefully labeled and refrigerated. Even after he had washed, dried, and put away all the dishes. Even after he rinsed the sink. Even after he had wiped down the stove and countertop. Even after he swept the floor. Even after all that she still had not responded and Levi was furious. Stalking to the sitting room he shot her another text.

  _Were you planning on giving me an answer sometime this year or are you too busy trying to beat the world record for the longest shit ever taken?_

 After he hit send he growled and tossed his phone onto the couch, not trusting himself to resist the urge to crush it. As if to mock him it chimed moments later. Picking it up again he scanned her message.

  _What the hell?_

 Muttering a few unflattering words under his breath he replied, _I ask you a direct question and it takes you more than a day to respond?_

 When she didn’t reply right away his irritation grew again but eventually his phone chimed.

  _Yeah I can be free Thursday_

 He guessed it would have to do.

 

* * *

 

Disgruntled about life in general, but Levi and her mother in particular, Mikasa spent the next few days dreading Thursday. Her mother was delighted of course. She called every day to offer suggestions or tidbits from her own ‘courtship’ - as she insisted on calling Mikasa’s non-relationship with Levi. Mikasa was sure that if she had to hear one more piece of well intended advice she was going to snap. Levi had only texted her once more - telling her to meet him at the same coffee shop as before at six. She had confirmed minutes later just so she wouldn’t have to deal with a repeat of the last time.

With the uncanny relativity of time the days seemed to slip past exponentially faster than they should have. Sunday she agreed to meet Levi. Monday her mother knew. Tuesday she met up with Sasha who laughed at her for a good five minutes before wiping the tears from her eyes and agreeing that she was, indeed, screwed. Wednesday she tried to come up with an excuse to cancel. Thursday she was walking down the street to Paradis and wondering if there was still some way she could get out of going.

The light was fading and the bands of shadow she walked through still held a hint of winter despite the warmer days. She shivered as she reached the door. The cheerfully lit shop beckoned her even as she had to fight off the urge to turn around and walk away when she saw Levi sitting at the same table as before. Her impulse ignored, she opened the door and entered the warm establishment accompanied by a soft bell chime. Levi looked up as the door announced her presence and met her eyes before turning to stare out the window. Noting that he already had a cup in front of him Mikasa went to the counter to order her own beverage. She absentmindedly unwound her dark scarf as she studied the menu board.

When a helpful employee approached the counter Mikasa paid for a chamomile-mint tea. Instead of immediately joining Levi at his table she waited for the barista, a different one from last time, to finish her drink. She collected it and made her way over to stand awkwardly by the table,

Levi’s eyes slid over to meet hers and she thought she heard him snort softly.

“Are you just planning on standing there all night?”

Her lips thinned but she placed her drink on the table and sat primly in the chair at his chiding.

For a while they just sat there alternately looking out at the dark street and sipping their tea. Once Mikasa opened her mouth to say something before realizing that she had nothing she wanted to say. She covered this lapse with a long swallow of her tea. Behind her Mikasa could hear the steady tick-tick-tick of an analog clock tracking the seconds as they slipped away. She fidgeted with the ends of her scarf, her tea cup, the zipper of her jacket. Across from her Levi crossed his legs one way and then the other while shifting back in his chair slightly. Mikasa took another small sip of tea.

She glanced back toward the window but by now the street was entirely dark and the window was an ephemeral mirror. Her eyes traced their ghostly reflections and marveled how even though they were sitting together they probably wouldn’t have looked more seperate had they been complete strangers. She exhaled heavily through her nose.

“Okay, this is ridiculous,” She turned so she was fully facing Levi who was now considering her blandly.

She faltered, not quite sure how to continue, and Levi seemed willing to remain seated in silence.

“This is ridiculous,” she repeated in a murmur - more to combat the palpable return of silence than to make a point.

“What were you expecting?”

The words weren’t harsh but Mikasa wanted to flinch away from them regardless.

Reaching for nonchalance she replied, “Whatever it was, it wasn’t this.”

“Okay,” his eyes narrowed slightly, “how about you give me a real answer now.”

Her jaw clenched at the tone of his voice and she made herself continue to meet his level gaze.

“Well?”

She was a little impressed at how much impatience he managed to convey with a single syllable.

When he started leaning forward, his own jaw clenched now, Mikasa raised placating hands.

“I don’t have an answer. I don’t know exactly what I expected but sitting in silence for,” she glanced back at the clock, “Three-quarters of an hour was definitely not it.”

She sat back and let him process that.

“So what, you want to play twenty questions?”

She snorted and shook her head.

“To be honest my mom is going to grill me about tonight and I somehow doubt she’ll be enthused with ‘we sat in silence and drank tea, it was magical’.”

He shrugged, “So make something up.”

She just stared at him.

Finally he broke the eye contact with a little huff of annoyance and rolled his shoulders back. His eyes drifted over her shoulder to rest around where the clock was for a moment.

“Fine. I’ll walk you home. That should assure your mother that I have good intentions.”

Mikasa rolled her eyes but decided it was the closest they would come to a compromise. Draining her tea she stood. As Levi rose beside her she wrapped her scarf around her neck again. They made their way to the door and when he opened it to pass through she reached out to hold it. He half glanced back at her and was turning forward again when he stopped abruptly and looked back at her.

“What?” She asked, self-conscious at the look of intense concentration on his face.

“What happened to your wrist?”

It was a blunt question and it caught her off-guard. Her own eyes darted to her always-bandaged wrist and she let the door go so she could tug her sleeve down.

“It’s nothing.”

“Bullshit.”

She sighed, “Okay, fine. It’s something but it’s not what it looks like. Just drop it.”

He made an irritated noise but started walking again.

She followed until they came to the end of the street and he stopped so abruptly she nearly ran into him.

“Why did you stop?”

He raised a brow at her over his shoulder, “I don’t know where you live.”

She flushed and hoped the low light would be enough to cover it. Of course he didn’t know where she lived. Wrapping her scarf a little more snugly around her throat she stepped forward and lead the way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am literally the person who gets pissed about people not responding to a text asking a direct question - even if I know there may be mitigating circumstances. 
> 
> Anyway, I hope everyone is enjoying this so far. I'm having fun writing it.


	4. Chapter 4

As they approached her building Mikasa fished her keys out of her jacket pocket. They both paused outside of her door and she wondered if he was expecting an invitation up. Just as she started clearing her throat, wondering what to say, Levi spoke.

“It’s cold out - hurry up so I can go home.”

A soft chuckle escaped her and she turned her face away from him as she unlocked the door.

Pulling it open she glanced back over her shoulder, neutral expression back in place, “Goodnight Levi.”

“Goodnight.”

He waited on the porch until she had entered and firmly closed the glass door behind her. Once the lock had clicked back into place he turned and walked away without a backwards glance.

She took the stairs up to her third floor apartment and began removing her outer layers once she had let herself in. When she reached the living room she thumbed the remote to turn the tv on and switched it to a show she didn’t really watch but often used for background noise. She meandered her way to her room to change into a pair of sweatpants and a sports bra and then back to her living room. Her phone beeped from the pocket of her jacket where it was tossed over the back of her armchair so she grabbed it before perching on the arm of the chair to see who had messaged her. It was Sasha.

_So? How was it? I want details!_

She shook her head wondering how on earth Sasha always seemed to know when she was finished meeting with someone. This wasn’t the first time it had happened and she was sure it wouldn’t be the last.

Instead of texting back she hit the call button and switched the mode to speaker phone. Then, the phone still ringing, she placed it on the coffee table and lay prone on the mat that never seemed to get put away. She had finished her first pushup by the time Sasha picked up.

“Mikasa? Why did you call? Was it that bad?”

Her muscles bunched as her shoulder blades drew together at the base of her movement. She elongated her arms in a smooth press back to the apex before answering.

“No it wasn’t bad. Weird, but not bad.” She dipped again and focused on her breathing for a moment, “I just had to cancel my routine today so I’m catching up with some bodyweight exercises. Texting would get in the way of that.”

Sasha’s simple, “Oh,” was full of understanding.

She waited in silence for a few moments as Mikasa slowed the rate of her pushups, taking a ten count on the way down and another for the way up, feeling a delicious burn work its way through her frame. After a half dozen of these Sasha hummed softly.

“So are you going to give me any details about your fake date with your fake future husband or do I have to make assumptions?”

Huffing out an irritated breath Mikasa finished her set and sat back, “There’s nothing to tell. We drank tea. He walked me home. That was it.”

“Really?” The question was sceptical.

“Well,” she stood, hooking her foot over the seat of the chair, and lowered herself into a split squat, “He noticed my wrist,” her tone was dark.

“Was it wrapped?”

“You know it was. It always is.”

“So he thought…?” The words trailed off.

“Yeah probably. At least he acted like it was a self-harm thing.”

“Did you tell him it was a family thing?”

“No,” she switched legs, “it’s none of his business what it is.”

“Won’t your mom think it’s kind of strange that he doesn’t know when you bring him over for dinner one night?”

“I won’t.”

“You won’t what?”

“Bring him for dinner. We’re not in a real relationship.”

She sat in the chair breathing heavily and sweating slightly. Sasha’s silence lingered but she waited. Her friend was good at speaking her mind even if it took her a little while to get there.

“I know it’s not real,” she started, “And I get that you don’t really like him all that much but if you’re telling your parents that you’ve agreed to this marriage thing you’re going to have to bring him over. They’ll expect it. They’ll expect a lot of things. Like you getting married for example.”

Mikasa snorted and slid off the chair to lay on her back on the mat.

“No,” Sasha was insistent, “I’m telling you I know why you’re lying about seeing him but this is going to backfire horribly. Either your parents will find out you lied or you’ll end up having to marry him to keep up the lie. There’s no way out of this!”

Starting her set of flutter kicks Mikasa tried to ignore the jolt of anxiety Sasha’s words provoked.

She tried to play it off, “Thank you for your input but I’ll cross those bridges when I come to them.”

Sasha’s disgusted sigh made her feel a little bad about being so flippant.

“Mikasa, this isn’t like you. You usually think things out before jumping in head first.”

She stopped her kicks and rolled upwards to sit nearer to her phone.

“I’m sorry,” she said, “It’s been a crazy week or so and I just don’t feel like there are a lot of good options at this point. I’ll figure it out - I always do. Thank you for being a good friend though Sasha. It means a lot.”

She could hear the smile over the line, “Yeah, same to you.”

They ended the call shortly after that, and after switching to less emotionally charged topics, but Sasha’s warning stuck with her. Nagging.

***

The warning might as well have been a premonition. Three days later, while she finally finished up that essay, her mom called to ‘check in’ on her ‘progress’ with Levi. She was only half listening and making the appropriate agreements as she scanned her essay for any citation errors. Her mom said something followed by the vocal uptick indicating she had asked a question.

Absentmindedly Mikasa mumbled back a short, “Yeah, sounds good.”

She reworked a sentence and then froze as what her mom asked finally registered.

“Wait, no, mom I can’t bring Levi over for dinner.”

“You just said you would though.”

“Sorry I was distracted and didn't hear the question right.”

“Why can't you bring him over? You said you were getting along well.”

“I,” she hesitated, searching for a plausible excuse, “I need to ask him first. He might be working.”

“Oh,” her mother sounded crushed, “what did you say he does again?”

“I didn't say. I have to go now. I'm already running late,” she started pulling the phone away as she was talking, “Love you mom, bye.”

She hung up and put her phone down guiltily. She would probably pay for that later. She did have to get ready for work though. She stood and then hesitated for a moment.

Grabbing her phone again she shot a quick text to Levi as she made her way to her room.

_Are you free to accept a call right now?_

She had just finished changing into her uniform when her phone beeped.

_Yes._

She grabbed her keys and jacket as she headed out the door, thumbing the call button as she went.

“What is it?” The words were brusque.

“My mom wants you over for dinner.”

“So tell her no.”

She stifled a sigh as she reached the stairs, “Oh, of course. Why didn’t I think of that?” She shook her head even though he couldn’t see, “I did I just need you to corroborate my story if you happen to run into her. If she asks you’re working late Friday.”

“Is that all?”

She hopped down the last couple steps and pushed through the fire door to the parking garage before answering.

“No. I think we need to revisit your ‘let’s play twenty questions’ idea.”

“What are you, twelve?”

She smothered another sigh and let herself into the car, “Listen, my mom is pressing me for details I should theoretically know if we were actually _courting_ ,” she sneers at her mother's new favorite word, “and I have nothing. She’s not stupid; she’ll start to wonder why I don’t know where you work or how you take your coffee.”

Waiting out his silence, she drummed her fingers on the steering column.

The words he finally uttered were completely flat, “You want to do this right now?”

“No, I have to work now but as soon as possible would be best.”

“What time do you finish work?”

“Six, I should be home by six-thirty at the latest.”

“I’ll come over at six-thirty then.”

His words were immediately followed by the call cutting off. She looked at her phone, wondering if the battery had died. Given her mostly full charge she concluded that he had hung up on her.

“I don’t have time for this,” she mumbled, placing her phone on the passenger's seat and turning the key in the ignition.

She made it to work with minutes to spare.


	5. Chapter 5

She was delayed at work by a late shipment and as a result it was six twenty-eight by the time she entered the parking garage below her home. She didn’t even bother heading straight up but rather trudged to the foyer door. As she suspected Levi was there, just pulling out his phone. She silently opened the door and he looked up as it creaked on poorly oiled hinges. He tucked his phone away as he stepped into the fluorescently lit hallway. She watched his eyes scan her sweaty, dirt streaked polo shirt but he said nothing; for which she was grateful.

She led the way to the stairs and they climbed all three flights in silence. The short walk to her door was passed similarly. He waited patiently as she tucked her key into the lock and followed her in without a word. She flicked on a couple lights and motioned him to the living room before breaking the silence.

“Do you want something to drink?”

She toed off her shoes and deposited her jacket over the back of one of her mismatched dining room chairs.

“Tea, if you have it.”

She hummed and rummaged through her cupboards.

“I have earl grey if you’d like. Plus some herbal options.”

“The earl grey.”

He removed his shoes and made his way into her living space. She watched him glance around at the room and take in the minimalistic clutter. When he ran his finger along her no-doubt dusty bookshelf a muscle jumped in his neck and she gritted her teeth against a sharp retort. After making his way around the small space he eventually removed his own jacket, placing it neatly over the back of her arm chair, before sitting.

She started the kettle and pulled out two mugs. She added a tea bag to each of the mugs and then headed down the short hall to her room. She closed the door behind her. As soon as the latch clicked she shucked her dirty work shirt and began rummaging through her dresser. She found a baseball tee and tugged that on before searching for a clean pair of pants. She couldn’t find any, not surprising given the way her laundry was piling up, so she shrugged and pulled on one of her favorite maxi skirts.

She reemerged just as the kettle clicked off so she went back to the kitchen to pour the water.

After the tea finished steeping she removed the tea bags and, mugs in tow, joined Levi in the living room. He took the cup from her with a careful hand, avoiding contact, and drew it close to his face to savor the scent. She sat carefully on the couch, mindful of her full mug, facing him. She took a measured sip and wrinkled her nose. She forgot that she wasn’t particular to earl grey when she made some for herself as well. Setting it on the table she looked up to Levi who was regarding her with tired eyes. She jumped to the crux of the matter.

“What do you do for work?”

“I’m a freelance financial consultant,” his words were clipped.

Mikasa knew he’d rather be elsewhere, hell she would rather he were elsewhere, but there was no help for them. She grabbed her tea and had another distasteful, fortifying sip.

“You’re in university,” he said, and she bites back an answer she prepared to a question he didn’t ask, “What are you taking.”

His question was more like a statement but she answered the words anyway.

“On paper I’m in a BSc program majoring in biology. I’ve taken horticulture as my focus though.”

“Are you any good?”

The corners of her lips tugged up, “Yeah. I maintain a 4.0 GPA. It’s easy when you love the subject matter.”

He nodded to himself and settled back a little further into the chair, no longer perched near the edge.

“How do you spend your days off?”

His eyes drifted back to hers and the skin between his brows creased slightly.

He half shrugged, “There's not much to say about that really. I like to clean my condo properly; catch up on any paperwork. I also take longer runs than I usually have time for. Aside from that I do the same things I do during my work week.”

She raised a brow at him, “You know that makes you sound like a serial killer right?”

He snorted derisively.

“Then what do you do with your free time?”

“Please,” she readjusted, tucking her leg underneath her, “I am a full-time student and part-time employee. I don’t have free time I only have time when I’m lying to myself about my procrastination.”

He rolled his eyes but humoured her, “Fine, what do you do when you’re lying to yourself?”

“Normal person stuff. I visit my friends or family. If I don’t _actually_ have time I’ll call or message them. I go for runs with a friend of mine every other morning or so, hit the gym. I’ve been really busy lately but sometimes I like to spar if I get the chance.”

His eyes lit up toward the end of her list.

“Are you any good?” He asked again.

“At what, sparring?” She clarified.

He nodded so she continued, “I’m pretty good. I don’t train as seriously as I used to back in high school, no time, but at least once every couple weeks I get together with a woman I know from when fighting was a priority and we beat the shit out of each other. We’re pretty evenly matched but use different techniques. It’s difficult to say which one of us will win any given encounter.”

His eyes scanned in her frame appraisingly and there was something in the calculation there that made her suppress a shiver. She knew she was completely covered but for a brief moment she felt naked before his gaze. Then, mercifully, he turned his attention back to his tea.

She cleared her throat and tried to halt the faint flush she felt creeping up her cheeks. To distract herself from wayward thoughts she gulped her cooling tea.

The silence stretched until he met her eyes again.

“Was that all you wanted to ask?”

She couldn’t back down from the challenge in his words so she tried to think of something her mom would expect her to know about him.

“Favourite colour?”

He rolled his eyes, “What is this? High school? I don’t have one.”

“Come on,” she snapped, “Everyone has a favourite colour.”

“Fine, grey.”

“Oh, that would be your favourite.”

His brows arched and he pursed his lips slightly, fingers tightening on the rim of his mug, “So what’s yours.”

It was less of a question and more of a challenge.

“Red.”

Her words were less of an answer and more of a challenge as well.

She didn’t know when it happened but they were both leaning toward each other, glaring over the coffee table. It’s so humorous that she felt her lips twitch and a laugh bubbled up.

“This is ridiculous,” she fell back into the cushions and chuckled, “No one is ever going to believe we plan on getting married.”

Her head lolled and when she glanced at him a small smile was tugging at his lips as well. She liked the way it softened the hard lines of his face.

“Maybe we could pull off the ‘old married couple’ dynamic?” He suggested.

“No way,” she said, leaning forward again, “I refuse to fall into that trope. If you’re always bickering then why did you get married in the first place? People act like it’s romantic to be disrespectful to one another. I’ve never understood that.”

“Yeah,” his voice was quiet, “I agree.”

They lapsed into another silence but this one didn’t feel as tense. Mikasa relaxed back into the cushions of her worn couch and gamely threw back the last swallow of her tea.

“Alright,” she said, “New question. Why didn’t you find a significant other? Or a ‘friend willing to take one for the team’ like you asked me. You had years.”

He shrugged, “Same as you, there wasn’t anyone or anyone that would have been believable.”

He set his own empty cup on the coffee table before fixing his eyes on hers.

“I want to know about your wrist.”

She tensed, bringing the appendage in question closer to herself as though to protect it.

“Why?”

“Because it’s obviously something important. You say it’s not what I think it is; so prove it.” His voice softened slightly but remained flat, “If we have any hope of pulling off this charade we’re going to end up knowing a lot of things about each other we don’t usually share.”

She took a steadying breath and decided it would be easier to show him. She carefully loosened the bandages while stealing quick glances at him from under her eyelashes. His face was carefully neutral but she sensed curiosity from him regardless. Something about the way his eyes lingered on the skin she was slowly exposing perhaps.

Bracing herself for his judgement she tugged the unraveled strip from her wrist, freeing it, and extended her arm so he could get a good look at the artistically raised flesh that encircled her wrist. He leaned forward and then caught her hand in his own. She startled slightly at the sudden contact but he only used his grip on her fingers to pull her hand closer and to turn her wrist for his examination.

“What is this? Scarification?” He asked.

Mikasa nodded, “Laser branding.”

“Why did you get it?”

“It’s tradition. For those in my mother’s line. She has one too, and her mother, and so on.”

She swallowed and tried not to focus on the warmth spreading from where his calloused fingers were clasped around her own. His intense scrutiny was a little off putting but also surprisingly flattering.

“Why do you cover it?”

She shrugged, using the motion to reclaim her hand, and answered truthfully, “I had too many people accuse me of ruining my body without learning the reason behind it. Complete strangers suddenly acting like they had the right to discuss me, my body, and my choices at length to me, behind my back, or even in front of my face. I got sick of it. I was tired of constantly being put on the spot or feeling obligated to explain.

“I started wrapping it and people either didn’t notice the bandage or just gave me a dirty look and walked away. It’s not optimal, and I hate that some people misinterpret my covering it as shame, but I’m no longer dealing with the same level of prying and I prefer it that way. My brand is my connection to my family. It’s personal.”

She trailed off and stroked her fingers over the scarred skin lightly, lost in thought for a moment.

“It’s beautiful.”

At Levi’s words she glanced up and met his eyes again. He was leaning forward slightly, legs spread and forearms resting on his knees, and for a moment she admired the ease with which he presented himself. It made her wonder what might have happened had they met under different circumstances. Probably nothing she decided after a moment. Getting together at all was practically like pulling teeth and that was when they both acknowledged the necessity of it.

“Would you like some more tea?” She offered.

“No, I should go before it gets too late. Wouldn’t want people to talk.” He said dryly.

She nodded and stood when he did. She walked him to the door and waited while he put his jacket back on and tied his shoes. He stepped toward the door but then hesitated for a moment. She tilted her head and waited.

“I think I may have been hasty when I told you to reject your mother’s invitation.”

She made an inquisitive noise.

“Tch. Dinner. I know neither one of us particularly wants me to attend but I’ll have to eventually. Let’s stick to the work story this time but next time she suggests it, if I’m not busy, I’ll come over. That gives us at least a week to get into character right?”

“Probably two.”

He nodded absently as he opened the door.

“Goodnight Levi.”

He half raised a hand behind him as be began striding down the hall. She softly closed the door on his retreating back.


	6. Chapter 6

The next day Mikasa grabbed her mail as she headed back up to her apartment after classes. The end of the semester was settling in and she had to sit through three classes wherein the professors reminded their pupils of rapidly approaching due dates. She wasn’t too worried about the final essay or the project due the week after next. She had already completed the research for the essay - all that was left was to write it - and the project was just missing a few final touches. The group presentations due the final week of classes, a mere three weeks away now, were going to be horrendous but she’d come to expect that about all group work.

She let herself into her apartment before shuffling through the larger-than-usual stack of mail. The first couple items were flyers that she tossed into the recycling without a second glance. A non-specific credit card offer got the same treatment. There was a bank statement that she set aside and a coupon book that got tossed after the flyers. On the bottom of the stack was a letter addressed to her with no return address. Curious, she turned it over in her hands. There was no stamp either so she supposed it was from the management of the complex.

Small frown in place, she used her keys to tear open the flap. When she opened the letter and read the large words at the top of the document her heart nearly stopped and a nauseous lump clogged her throat.

**NOTICE OF EVICTION**

She scanned the words but only caught snatches at a time - _regret to inform_ \- she wondered if this could be some sort of joke - _must vacate within_ \- her eyes flicked down - _scheduled demolitions begin_ \- to the signature and it didn’t look like a forgery but what did she know? She wandered into the living room eyes fixed on the document but not really seeing it. She collapsed into her chair and dragged her eyes away from those three horrific words confronting her at the top of the page to take a couple deep, calming breaths. Once her thoughts stopped whirling in a panic she returned to the document and read it carefully from beginning to end.

It was addressed to her, her full name and current address listed, which seemed redundant as the envelope had been addressed to her as well. It was dated the previous day. The document began:

_Dear Ms. Ackerman,_

_We regret to inform you that your tenancy is no longer viable. Pursuant to **Section 4.13** of your residency agreement you are being provided with two months notice for eviction. You must vacate within two calendar months of the date on this letter._

There was more, information about the plans for the lot - demolition and the construction of more lucrative office space - but what it boiled down to was that she had two months to find another living situation. There wasn’t anything she could do to fight it. She even double checked her residency agreement; Section 4, the section on terminating residency, was filled with little loopholes like the 2-month eviction notice. She had glanced through it all before signing but how could she have known that the management would decide to rezone the property?

The next few days passed in a haze. Mikasa started her essay and finished the project. She attempted to communicate with her group even though it was a mostly futile endeavor. She began looking for new places to live. She didn’t breathe a word of her upcoming eviction when she went to dinner with her parents on Friday. She extended apologies on Levi’s behalf, that he never gave, and let them know that he would try to be available the next time he received an invitation. This delighted her parents but their enthusiasm seemed to dwindle while she picked at the food on her plate. Occasionally she would eat a half-hearted forkful and it was when she was in the middle of one of these that her father spoke.

“Mikasa, what’s wrong?”

She glanced up, back down to her plate, and then back up again. Both her parents were watching her with small worried frowns. She shook her head a little hoping they might be willing to drop it.

“It’s not Levi is it?” Her mom asked, “You’ve been pretty tight-lipped about him from day one. He’s not treating you poorly is he?”

Her eyebrows shot up, her mom sounded genuinely concerned, “No, Levi’s fine. Why did you think it was him?”

Her mother leaned forward to catch one of Mikasa’s hands with both of her own, “I knew you weren’t comfortable with the arrangement. I really expected you to refuse to see him again. When you didn’t,” she paused, a brief look of pain flaring across her usually smooth face, “I was worried you only accepted to make us happy. No matter what the cost was to yourself.”

That, Mikasa winced internally, that was a little too close to the truth for her liking. So she changed the subject.

“It’s really not Levi. It’s just the end of semester. Everything is a little crazy. I can’t get in contact with my group for a presentation worth thirty percent of our grade and I haven’t had a chance to start studying for finals. I’m not sleeping too well either which hasn’t helped.”

Her parents seemed skeptical but they let it go. When she excused herself earlier than usual that night they admonished her to get some rest. She agreed and drove home carefully. She went up to her apartment and changed into pyjama bottoms and an old shirt. She glanced at her bed for longer than she cared to admit before dragging herself out to the living room. She hadn’t been exaggerating when she had said she hadn’t done any studying for finals yet - now less than a month away. She collected her notes and textbook for her easiest class and poured over the information until she began losing the battle to keep her eyelids open. Leaving her books on the couch she staggered down the hall and collapsed onto her bed. She managed to worm her way under the blankets before passing into a dreamless sleep.

***

As much as she wanted to sleep in the next day she restrained her impulse to hit the snooze button, more than once anyway, and dragged herself out of bed. Her hair was mussed beyond her ability to fix unless she actually gave a damn and at that point she really didn’t. She contained the unruly strands with a spare hair tie she found in her night stand before going to the kitchen. She made coffee and slumped against the counter while she waited for it to brew.

She tried to get her sluggish thoughts to form a coherent to-do list for the weekend but wasn’t having much luck pre-caffeination. She had finally decided that after she completed her essay she would try apartment hunting again when her phone beeped. Of course it was Levi.

_Would you like to meet Wednesday?_

She groaned. She didn’t feel the same dread as before at the thought of seeing him but she was exhausted and there was so much work she had to do over the next couple weeks. Next week was basically out of the question for her. As was the week after that. And so on until she was finished finals. She poured herself a coffee and, wondering how accepting he would be, typed out a quick reply.

_Raincheck? Finals are breathing down my neck_

She took a few small sips, frowning at her phone, as she waited for his reply. When it came it was more than slightly anticlimactic.

_Alright._

It was only after she’d rolled her eyes at her phone, placing it gently back on the counter, and griped her coffee mug with both hands, for the delicious warmth it was exuding, that she realized she was more worried about upsetting Levi than she had been about keeping up the charade for her parents. Her grip tightened. She didn’t realize how badly the realization had startled her until a little of the hot coffee had sloshed over the rim and she jerked her left hand away to shake it as she hissed at the pain and shock. She glared at her phone as though her wayward thoughts were Levi’s fault and stalked into the living room to pick up studying where she’d left off. She had a lot of work to do.

***

The next weeks passed in the same haze as the one before. She finished her essay and finally managed to get the group together to work out the details of the presentation. She studied for all of her classes. She went to work and fielded phone calls from her mother. She drank too much coffee and slept too little. Somehow she found time for the gym. She wasn’t positive how she managed that but it might have involved selling her soul.

Levi messaged her again.

It was nothing serious - he just occasionally asked her how she was managing. So she filled him on the little details that now comprised her life. Like looking at the clock in the artificially lit library commons and being entirely unsure if it was three in the morning or the afternoon. He called her an idiot and told her to get some sleep after that comment. She told Sasha about that and claimed to be offended but she wasn’t really. Sasha had a knowing look on her face that Mikasa didn’t want to think about so she threw back her drink and claimed she had to get back to studying. At least that wasn’t a lie.

She only had two days between her last class and her first final but thankfully all her finals fell on the same week. It meant a little initial craziness but it also meant she was free that much sooner. As she walked out of her last exam she pulled her phone out and texted Levi.

_Done! I feel like celebrating_

She was most of the way to her car when she felt the phone buzz in her pocket. She pulled it out and checked it.

_Do you have a specific celebration plan in mind?_

Her fingers typed out a quick response.

_Not really but it probably involves actually sleeping_

The next time her phone buzzed she was driving so she ignored it until she pulled into her parking garage a few minutes later. She put the car in park and removed her seatbelt and was reaching for her phone when it buzzed again. She rolled her eyes at his impatience.

_If you want I could take you out for drinks. As a congratulations._

_If you think it’s a stupid idea you can just say so._

She frowned a little at the second message before looking back up at the one before it. Did she want to go for drinks with Levi? She wasn’t sure. At the same time it sounded like a good way to relax after finals. A couple pints of beer, or maybe something stronger, would go down wonderfully right about then. Mind made up she responded.

_Chill I was driving_

_Drinks sound good_

_When?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just wanted to say a quick thank you for all the comments and kudos! If my updating slows down over the next little while please don't be surprised or get worried. Work has been hectic lately and even when I have time off I'm pretty tired. I struggled a little with this chapter because I wanted to get it out as soon as possible rather than taking the time to write it out properly. It lead to a lot of frustration and a full-deletion of my first attempt.   
> I want to update as often as possible but I also need to take time for myself. I hope everyone understands! Thank you all again for reading this. I'm happy that my story has been so well received.


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